Without proper sleep, the rest of your health quickly suffers. Some adaptogens are too stimulating to be part of a bedtime routine, but others may be perfect to help support a good night’s sleep. Pay attention to how your body responds to each recipe or adaptogen you try, because no two people will respond exactly the same way to any herb. You may find that certain adaptogens work best for you, or that you need to adjust the timing of when you take them (either closer to or further from bedtime to give them a chance to work). The recipes in this section are meant to help support a healthy bedtime routine, but you need to make sure you aren’t fighting them. It may be helpful to create a calming bedtime routine, turn off screens and electronics an hour before bed, and make sure your bedroom is a place you associate with comfort and rest.
Another class of herbs, called nervines, complement the actions of adaptogens and can safely be used alongside of them. Nervines help support the health of the nervous system in many ways. Chamomile is a well-known nervine that is often used to help soothe away stress after a long day, but other nervines, like lemon balm and linden, can be used either before bed or during the day. Nervines that are especially helpful as part of a bedtime routine because they are known to promote a good night’s rest include hops, valerian, and California poppy.
Midnight Milk
It’s best to avoid using most adaptogens late in the day because they can give the body a boost of energy right when it should be getting ready for sleep. Ashwagandha, on the other hand, is a very calming, soothing adaptogen that can be taken right up until bedtime.
Milk and dairy products such as clarified butter are often used in Ayurvedic herbalism because milk is said to help bring out the nutritive aspects of herbs used with it. If you wish to avoid cow’s milk, you can try this recipe with goat milk or a plant-based milk such as coconut or almond.
Not known for having a pleasant taste, ashwagandha is paired here with more flavorful rose, a nervine that complements the calming actions of ashwagandha, and spices to round out the flavors. Schisandra berry is another adaptogen, and one that has been used traditionally for dream-disturbed sleep.
The first step to make Midnight Milk is to blend together a batch of Midnight Milk Powder.
Midnight Milk Powder
Ingredients
Yields 60 servings
1⁄4 cup powdered ashwagandha root
1⁄4 cup powdered schisandra berries
1 cup powdered rose petals
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
How to Make
Blend together all the ingredients and store in an airtight container in the pantry until you are ready to use.
Midnight Milk
Ingredients
Yields 1 Serving
1 cup milk or plant milk
1⁄4–1 teaspoon Midnight Milk Powder
Honey, to taste
How to Make
1. In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup of milk until warm. Be careful not to scald or cook the milk.
2. Pour the milk into a mug, and stir in 1⁄4–1 teaspoon of Midnight Milk Powder (as desired).
3. Sweeten with a little honey, and drink in the evening or as part of a bedtime snack.
Bedtime Nut Butter Bites
These quick and simple bedtime snacks are a sweet treat rich in calcium and magnesium that support a good night’s sleep even without adaptogens. Add almond butter mixed with Bedtime Spice for an extra boost of sleepy-time goodness.
In traditional Chinese medicine, schisandra berry is considered to be more soothing and grounding, and less stimulating, than many other adaptogens. Unlike its more energizing counterparts, schisandra’s effect is said to be one of calming the heart and quieting the spirit.
In this recipe, an adaptogen blend featuring schisandra is mixed into nut butter and used as a stuffing for dates, but it can also be eaten with crackers, apple slices, or a bagel half—anywhere you would normally enjoy a bit of nut or seed butter.
The first step to make Bedtime Nut Butter Bites is to blend together a batch of Bedtime Spice.
Bedtime Spice
Ingredients
Yields 48 servings
7 tablespoons powdered schisandra berries
5 tablespoons powdered ashwagandha root
3 tablespoons powdered chamomile
How to Make
Blend together the powdered schisandra berries, ashwagandha root, and chamomile in a small mixing bowl. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the pantry until you are ready to make Bedtime Nut Butter.
Bedtime Nut Butter
Ingredients
Yields 1 serving
1 teaspoon Bedtime Spice
1 tablespoon almond butter (or other nut butter)
How to Make
1. Combine 1 teaspoon Bedtime Spice with 1 tablespoon almond butter in a small bowl.
2. If you would like to make a larger batch, use 5 tablespoons Bedtime Spice per cup of nut or seed butter and blend well, until the herbs are evenly mixed in the spread.
3. Store Bedtime Nut Butter in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
Bedtime Nut Butter Bites
Ingredients
Yields 3 stuffed dates
3 pitted dates
1 tablespoon Bedtime Nut Butter
How to Make
1. Slice open each date to make a pocket for the Bedtime Nut Butter mixture.
2. Stuff each date with 1⁄3 tablespoon of Bedtime Nut Butter mixture. Enjoy!
Morpheus Tea Blend
Jiaogulan takes center stage in this tea blend, as much for its flavor and natural sweetness as for its calming, nerve-nourishing abilities. Why the funny name for this blend? In ancient Greek mythology, Morpheus is the god of dreams and the son of the god of slumber. Two nervines, hops strobiles and linden flowers, round out the traditional actions of gynostemma, and are also popular bedtime herbs. Although chamomile is a time-honored nighttime tea, I find that sometimes it gives me uncomfortably vivid dreams. If you notice a similar pattern, lemon balm may be a good choice instead. Dried lemon balm won’t alter the flavor profile very much in this recipe, but fresh lemon balm will. Jiaogulan’s natural sweetness pairs well with dried apple pieces and cinnamon in this tea.
When you are using this blend to make a tea, feel free to sweeten the tea if you desire. But test it first; you may find that the tea is sweet enough on its own, as jiaogulan and chamomile both have a natural sweetness, and of course the apple pieces do as well.
Ingredients
Yields approximately 20 servings
2 tablespoons jiaogulan
1 tablespoon chamomile
1 tablespoon linden leaves and flowers
1⁄2 tablespoon hops strobiles
1 stick cinnamon bark
2 tablespoons diced, dried apple pieces
How to Make
1. Combine jiaogulan, chamomile, linden leaves and flowers, and hops in a large glass mixing bowl.
2. Gently pound the stick of cinnamon with a mortar and pestle to break into small pieces; add the cinnamon pieces to the mixing bowl of herbs.
3. Add the apple pieces to the mixing bowl with the herbs and cinnamon, and stir with clean hands or a wooden spoon to blend all ingredients together.
4. Transfer to an airtight container, and store in a cool, dark pantry away from light and humidity.
A Cup of Morpheus Tea
Ingredients
Yields 1 (8-ounce) cup
1–2 teaspoons of Morpheus Tea Blend
8 ounces hot water
How to Make
1. Place 1–2 teaspoons of Morpheus Tea Blend into a tea strainer, filter, or bag.
2. Fill your favorite mug or teacup with 8 ounces of hot water just off the boil, and add the strainer or filter with the Morpheus Tea Blend.
3. Cover with a saucer and allow to steep 10 minutes before removing the saucer and strainer.
4. Allow to cool to a comfortable warm temperature before drinking. Sweeten if desired.
Sandman’s Reserve Elixir
This elixir is a good travel blend, or nice to have on hand when you want to enjoy the benefits of adaptogens without needing to spend much time in the kitchen. The good thing about elixirs as a whole is that they are more palatable than regular extracts. With Sandman’s Reserve Elixir, you can take 1⁄4 teaspoon as is, or stir it into a small glass of water to sip as you get ready for bed.
Part of the fun of working with elixirs is the artistry that goes into developing a pleasant taste for the finished product. Sometimes this is done by adding spices and flavorings like vanilla or cinnamon, but you can also experiment with different types of brandy and honey to find a blend that you find particularly pleasing.
Like extracts, elixirs don’t need to be refrigerated, so you can keep a bottle of Sandman’s Reserve Elixir on your nightstand or in your travel bag to have close by when you need it!
Ingredients
Yields 8 ounces (48 servings)
2 tablespoons ashwagandha powder
1 tablespoon powdered rose petals
1 tablespoon powdered skullcap
1⁄2 tablespoon powdered chamomile
1⁄2 tablespoon powdered linden leaves and flowers
5 ounces brandy
4–5 ounces honey
How to Make
1. Combine the ashwagandha, rose petal, skullcap, chamomile, and linden powders in a clean, dry glass canning jar. You can stir them or blend them together if you like, but you will be shaking the jar once you add the brandy, so it isn’t necessary.
2. Pour the brandy on top of the herbs, and place the lid on the jar.
3. Shake gently to combine, and allow to infuse for at least 2 weeks in a cool, dark cupboard.
4. Check the jar with the herbs and brandy daily to make sure that the herbs stay submerged in the alcohol. Add more brandy if needed to keep the herbs submerged.
5. At the end of 2 weeks, filter the herbs from the brandy and measure the extract to determine how much you have. It should be around 4 ounces, but this can vary based on how much alcohol the herbs absorbed and how much alcohol was left in the herbs when you strained them. Add an equal amount of honey, and stir gently until the honey and extract are combined.
6. Transfer the elixir to a clean, amber glass bottle with cap, and make sure to label and date your creation. Most elixirs will be shelf stable at room temperature for at least a year, thanks to the preservative powers of the honey and the brandy.
Powdering Cut and Sifted Herbs
So what happens if a recipe calls for a powdered ingredient, but all you can find in stock through your regular resources is cut and sifted? Cut and sifted means that the herb has been cut into roughly same-size pieces and anything smaller gets sifted out. With leaves, that means the final product is little leaf flakes. With roots, that means the final product looks like a fine gravel. These are definitely a far cry from powdered. As long as you have a coffee grinder, though, you can make your own powdered herbs from cut and sifted. Just remember to work with only a tablespoon or two of herbs at a time and not let your coffee grinder overheat. I’ve only had to give up on one batch of roots that I was powdering in this way. It was some asclepias root (butterfly weed) that I was using for a respiratory formula. They were too hard and dense for the coffee grinder and it started to overheat. A coffee grinder can handle most herbs and roots just fine!
Night Garden Sachets
This herbal pillow relies on a class of herbs that are complementary to the actions of adaptogens: nervines. Traditionally used to heal and support the health of the immune system, nervines include some of nature’s most wonderfully aromatic plants. Owing in part to their volatile oil content, these aromatic nervines have a reputation for soothing and calming even through scent. Lavender and rose combine for a floral blend, but by using thyme instead of rose the impression becomes fresh and woodsy, reminiscent of a night outdoors.
The scent of these herbs comes from the presence of volatile oils, one of the same compounds that make essential oils effective for aromatherapy. As the herbs are crushed from the weight of your head and warmed by your body heat, a little more of the fragrance is released each night. Even though you might think that something as insubstantial as a smell could not possibly have an effect on your body, the scent molecules are actually connecting and binding with receptors in your body and being absorbed into your bloodstream through your lungs. Aroma can be a subtle but effective healing tool.
Over time, the fragrance will fade away and you will need to refresh the herbs in your sachets. If you notice a musty smell, that’s also a good indication that the herbs need to be replaced with a fresh batch. Trust your nose!
Ingredients
Yields 1 cup of dried blend (16 tablespoons)
8 tablespoons dried rose petals or thyme leaves
4 tablespoons dried hops
4 tablespoons dried lavender buds
2 (4" × 6") muslin drawstring bags
How to Make
1. Combine all herbal ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Fill one drawstring bag with herbs and tie the bag shut. Place the filled, tied bag upside down into the other bag to prevent any herbs from spilling out as the sachet is used, and tie the second bag closed.
3. If there is leftover herb blend in your mixing bowl, transfer it to a labeled airtight container in the pantry so you can refresh your pillow when it begins to lose its scent.
4. Tuck your pillow or sachet into the pillowcase of your bed pillow. Whenever you notice that the scent of your pillow or sachet has faded, you should replace it with fresh herbs.
Soothed Spirits Bath Blend
An evening bath is a before-bed ritual that calms, warms, and soothes. Holy basil is a calming adaptogen with nervine properties, but in Ayurveda, it is also believed to have an effect on the chakras, the subtle energy centers of the body. By combining it with sage and mugwort, two Western herbs with similar cleansing reputations, this evening bath becomes a ritual of calming the body and mind while cleansing and balancing the spirit. Please note that this blend may not be appropriate during pregnancy.
If you don’t have a tub for taking a bath, you can use 4 tablespoons of this blend to create a foot soak for a relaxing alternative. Mugwort was traditionally used as a traveler’s herb to soothe tired feet and legs, so this can also be a nice way to unwind after a long day on your feet. To make a foot bath, use the second method below for brewing a bath tea, and then add the bath tea to your foot basin. A foot basin can be any bowl or basin large enough for your feet and enough water to reach your ankles. Since you will be using it for herbal foot soaks, try to find a non-reactive glass or ceramic bowl rather than one made of metal.
Ingredients
Yields enough for 6 baths
1 cup cut and sifted holy basil leaves
1 cup cut and sifted garden sage (salvia officinalis) leaves
1 cup cut and sifted mugwort leaves
How to Make
1. Place holy basil, sage, and mugwort in a large mixing bowl and stir gently with a wooden spoon or clean hands to combine.
2. Transfer to a large glass canning jar or decorative, airtight container that suits your bathroom decor.
3. When you are ready to take a bath, you have two ways to proceed. In the first method, you would transfer 1⁄4 cup of Soothed Spirits Bath Blend to a clean muslin pouch and hang it from your tap by the drawstrings. Position the bag so that the hot water for your bath flows over the bag. When your bath has been drawn, remove the pouch and allow it to steep in the water with you while you bathe.
4. In the second method, you would brew a quart of strong infusion in a nonreactive saucepan. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil, and add 1⁄4 cup Soothed Spirits Bath Blend. Replace the lid on the pot and allow to steep for 20–30 minutes. Filter out the herbs, and add the infusion to your bath just before you step in. A bath made using this second method is typically stronger than one made with the first method; you may find you have a personal preference for one or the other.
Harvesting Tips: Leaves and Flowers
Holy basil is a perfect example of an adaptogen that is grown for its leaves. But how do you know when it’s ready to harvest? Most of the time, the leaves should be harvested at the peak of growth right before a plant blooms. After they bloom and set seeds, most herbs are spent for the year. The aerial portions of the plant will usually start to die back. In annual plants, this marks the end of the plant’s life. In biennial plants and perennials, the focus of the plant’s energy becomes building up the root system for fall and winter. If you test a leaf by rubbing it between your fingers every few days throughout the growing season, you will also become aware of the plant’s smell becoming stronger as it gets closer to bloom. By harvesting just before the flowers blossom, you will capture all of those volatile oils and compounds at their peak.
Night Nectar
This recipe for Night Nectar combines two adaptogen powders, ashwagandha and schisandra, with honey to create a blend worthy of sweetening your evening tea, spreading with nut or seed butter on your nightly nibble, or drizzling over apple pieces for a bedtime snack.
Ashwagandha is a calming adaptogen that works well when used at night. It can help soothe sleeplessness when one of the main factors behind it is high stress levels. Schisandra has nervine properties that calm and focus the nervous system. An interesting and less well known aspect of schisandra is that it can be used when there is insomnia or waking caused by vivid or unpleasant dreams.
Ingredients
Yields 16 servings
3 tablespoons schisandra
3 tablespoons ashwagandha
1 cup honey
How to Make
1. Place schisandra and ashwagandha powder in a clean mixing bowl and stir gently until they are evenly combined.
2. Measure 1 cup of honey into a glass canning jar. Place the jar into a small saucepan with enough water to come a quarter of the way up the outside of the jar.
3. Warm the honey over low heat until it flows easily off of a spoon, and immediately remove the jar from the water using an oven mitt or canning jar lifter. (Too much heat will cause the honey to crystallize, and all you want to do by warming it is to make stirring in the herbs easier.)
4. Before the honey cools, add the schisandra and ashwagandha mixture and fold gently to combine evenly as the honey returns to room temperature.
Harvesting Tips: Roots
If you’ve decided to grow adaptogens like dang shen (AKA codonopsis), rhodiola, or ashwagandha in your own garden, you may be wondering about when to harvest roots. Typically, roots are harvested in the fall. The age of the plant can matter, too. Some herbs may be fine to harvest for their roots after the first or second year of growth, but others may need many years before the root system has grown enough for harvest. Ashwagandha can be grown as an annual much the same way as tomatoes in many areas (they are actually related!), so you plant the seeds in the spring and then harvest the plants in the fall for the roots. Other herbs, like ginseng, need at least five or six years before they reach full maturity and strength.
Night Nectar and Fried Banana Bedtime Snack
“Moth broth” is something you might remember from school science fair projects when you were a kid. Essentially, if you make a paste with bananas and other ripe fruit, sweeten it with sugar, and paint it on a tree at dusk you have a fascinating way to observe some of the velvety denizens of the night.
While this banana and herbal honey snack won’t attract any moths for you to observe, this fried banana treat made with the Night Nectar adaptogen might just become one of your favorite adult bedtime snacks. Although you might not have an annual entry in the science fair anymore, nobody really outgrows a bedtime snack.
Ingredients
Yields 1 serving
1 medium under-ripe banana
1–2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon Night Nectar
1 tablespoon water
How to Make
1. Prep the banana by peeling it and slicing into coins.
2. Heat a few teaspoons of coconut oil in a small skillet and arrange the banana slices in the skillet so they can cook.
3. Allow to cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden.
4. Whisk the Night Nectar and water together in a small cup.
5. Take the skillet off the heat and pour the Night Nectar and water mixture over the bananas. Enjoy while still warm.
Better Rest Elixir
Sometimes better sleep can be had when you support your nervous system during the day, rather than waiting until the last minute before bedtime. Studies with eleuthero have shown that taking it through the day can help promote healthy sleep at night. Eleuthero is usually considered a calming adaptogen, but if you are very sensitive and find that eleuthero gives you a bump in energy, you might prefer to take your last serving of this extract before 4:00 P.M. Take it 2 or 3 times a day, whichever frequency works best for you.
The addition of eleuthero in this blend makes it particularly useful when you are trying to reset your sleeping rhythms after traveling and may be struggling with jet lag. Eleuthero is believed to help you sleep through the night without waking and to make your overall quality of sleep improve.
Ingredients
Yields approximately 4 ounces of extract (48–96 servings, enough for 1 month)
1⁄2 ounce eleuthero powder (by weight)
1⁄2 ounce ashwagandha powder (by weight)
5 ounces vodka
How to Make
1. Combine the eleuthero powder and ashwagandha powder in a medium bowl. If you are making a percolation extract, moisten the herbs with a little extra vodka and prepare the glass funnel according to the directions in the project “Make an Herbal Extract by Percolation” in Chapter 1.
2. After allowing the vodka and herbs to rest overnight, adjust the screw cap on the funnel until you achieve one drop every 1–3 seconds. Let the extract percolate, then discard the remaining herbs.
3. Measure the finished extract, and combine it with an equal amount of honey by volume. Bottle in an amber glass bottle with a label describing the ingredients and the date. A serving is 1⁄4–1⁄2teaspoon up to 3 times a day.
Simply Schisandra and Rhodiola Extract
Like eleuthero, rhodiola can also help support healthy sleep, but rhodiola tends to have a more energizing influence during the day. Add schisandra’s supportive nervine abilities to the mix, and the result is an unusual and useful combination to help you power through the day but still give you an easier time winding down at night. It’s definitely best to take this extract during the earlier part of the day, so make sure your last serving of this extract is before 4:00 P.M.
Rhodiola can help your body adapt to interruptions in your circadian rhythms, and gives a nice boost to overall sleep quality. Although it’s great as a sleep support blend at home, because rhodiola can help your body adapt to the stress of altitude changes it may be an extract to remember when you are traveling, too!
Ingredients
Yields 4 ounces (enough for 1 month)
2 ounces rhodiola root extract
2 ounces schisandra extract
How to Make
Combine both extracts in a 4-ounce amber glass bottle. Label the bottle with the ingredients and the date. A serving of this extract is 30–60 drops.
Thyme for Sleep Berries and Cherries
These brandied cherries include the adaptogen schisandra. Thyme adds an unusual note to the brandied cherries, while having calming nervine properties of its own. Use a few cherries and schisandra berries at a time over desserts or added to yogurt for a bedtime snack. When the berries and cherries are all gone, use 1⁄2 teaspoon of the remaining liquid as an unusual evening elixir.
Even though it’s usually thought of simply as a kitchen spice, thyme has an impressive number of herbal attributes. It offers support to the digestive system as a carminative (an herb that helps to soothe gas and bloating), and to the lungs as an antitussive and expectorant.
Thyme’s history as a nervine is virtually unknown, but I find it particularly fascinating because of its affinity for the nervous system. At various points in history it has been employed for everything from anxiety to epilepsy to paralysis to fainting. In sleep support formulas, it can be a good choice to promote relaxation from subconscious sources of tension and restlessness in someone who can be easily startled awake or who has nightmares.
Ingredients
Yields 1 pound brandied berries and cherries
15 ounces frozen cherries (fresh are also nice, but remember to remove the pits and stems)
1 ounce dried schisandra berries
2 cups brandy
1⁄2 cup granulated cane sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
How to Make
1. Pack the cherries and schisandra berries into a quart-sized canning jar or divide evenly into smaller jars.
2. Heat the brandy, sugar, and thyme in a medium saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
3. Pour the brandy and sugar mixture into the jars to cover the cherries. Place lids on the jars, and transfer to the fridge for at least 1 week.